The absolute easiest marketing you can do is RETWEET (not just like) and SHARE tweets and posts about your books.

You retweet so all of your followers will see it. Liking a tweet is just you telling the tweeter, “Hey, nice tweet.” Same on Facebook. Sharing tells all your followers (friends and people who like your page). Adding your own comments to the share or retweet is optional, but more powerful.

There are setup options in Facebook and Twitter to be notified if someone mentions you in a post or tweet. You login to your account, click on notifications, click on each notification to directly go to the post or tweet, then click the share or retweet button. Three clicks. Three free clicks. To get free promotion.

The Gittle List is an annual book competition I have hosted for the last four years. It is exclusively for self-published children’s picture book authors. A cornerstone of the contest is cross-promotion. I give the winners free promotion by including them and their books in marketing for the contest.

Since 2013, I have given many authors, artists, and others free promotion in the form of interviews, Facebook and LinkedIn posts, articles, press releases, and tweets. I have created an uncountable number of ads that include book covers, artwork, quotes, and publicity photos. Recently, I created a promotional video for all the 2016 winners.

Many of the recipients of this free promotion do little or nothing with it. Some say they are just not savvy with marketing or social media. If you do nothing else, learn how to share posts and tweets.

A unique feature of The Gittle List book competition is the chance for entrants to get free promotion. So, entering earlier would increase their chances. Yet, at least half of the entries come in during the last two weeks of the nearly year-long submission period.

Mariana Llanos took advantage of her Gittle List winner announcement post. She got 21 more people to share the post after the Facebook ad ended.

When the contest is over, I find that few of the authors share the many posts and articles that go out across several social media platforms. These same authors are frustrated at their low books sales.

There is no easy money in publishing. But, there is some easy marketing you can do. Take advantage of the work someone else did writing about you and your book by taking 15 seconds to share it. It’s so easy, even indie authors like us can do it.

Have a topic you’d like me to write about? Email me at GoToGittle@gmail.com or leave a comment here.

An ‘About’ page allows readers to get to know you. We like to buy from people we like.

How do you market your books? It is a question that indie authors ask all the time. There are so many different ways to promote your work — and tons of books and articles on the topic — that authors get overwhelmed. “Just tell us what works for you,” they seem to be saying.

The marketing techniques you use are unique to you. Your personality, your technical skill level, your budget, the amount of time you can devote to it. There is no one way. There is no system. There are, however, basic building blocks that every author who wants to sell books needs. (See Helpful Resources below my bio.)

“Call to Action (CTA) Marketing – CTA is a part of inbound marketing used on websites [my emphasis] in the form of a banner, text or graphic, where it is meant to prompt a person to click it and move into the conversion funnel, that is, from searching to navigating an online store to converting to a sale.”

Every author needs a website. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does need to have a way to buy your books. This could be as simple as having a button that says “Buy” or “Shop” below a picture of the book’s cover and links to its detail page on an online store, like Amazon.

There are two ways to get a website: Hire someone to do it or build it yourself. From there, you can continue to pay someone to update the site as needed or you can have that person train you on the basics.

After getting bids from freelancers on what is now Upwork.com, I ended up finding someone local through Yelp. He charged $450 to build my website with WordPress using a theme I purchased online. (A theme is a framework that provides the web developer with a template for your website.) I knew that this price was reasonable after getting quotes generally between $1,200 and $5,000.

Work with someone locally, if you can. Alejandro and I were able to sit down together to discuss the functionality I needed (which I sketched out on paper) and, when he finished, to give me basic training on how to add and change things on the website. (Take notes!)

Be sure to have an SOW (Statement of Work) that spells out what the web developer is going to do for you, at what cost. It should specify how many revisions the developer is willing to do.

My Amazon Author Page lists my books, but it can also include videos, my blog and Twitter feeds, and more.

Stay away from development / design services like those offered by GoDaddy. First, they are very expensive. But, worse, GoDaddy considers the website they build for you “proprietary” and won’t allow you to move it to another hosting site. (I don’t know if other web hosting companies do this so be sure to ask.)

What is a hosting site, you ask? This is where your website files will reside. You can host your own website by buying and maintaining your own server. If you can do that, you can probably build your own website. I recommend WebHostingHub.com, but there are many others. You save a lot of money by paying for 1-3 years up front.

My website is overkill for most authors. Here is the minimum you need:

Front page that shows your books with a button below each one that links to the place readers can buy your books (like Amazon.com).

An About page with your bio and a way to contact you.

Links to your social media, like your Facebook page and Twitter account.

Get started with this. You can always add things later, like a signup form for a newsletter.

Last thing: You should take advantage of the free author page on Amazon.com. Here’s mine.

Think of your author website as the center of your marketing. Keep it simple and don’t let anyone talk you into more functionality than you need to get started. You can always expand it later. For now, give potential readers a place to buy your books and get to know you better. 😸

Sign up for Gittle News and follow me on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to hear about new articles on everything related to self-publishing. Have a topic you want me to write about? Email me at GoToGittle@gmail.com. Other Aviva’s Advice articles:Edit Thyself? Is Your Book Global?

Author J.K. Rowling signs copies of her book ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ (Getty Images)

You can ask J.K. Rowling, author of the wildly successful Harry Potter series, one question about publishing your first children’s book. What would you ask her?

Based on posts in LinkedIn’s groups for writers, many would use this golden opportunity to ask Ms. Rowling whether they should buy a block of ISBN numbers. Or which print-on-demand company is best. They might ask how to get their book illustrated on the cheap.

This is embarrassing to admit: Those were my first questions, too.

Four years and over a dozen self-published books later, the first question I would ask Ms. Rowling is: “Can you recommend a great editor?”

Some indie authors don’t think they need a professional editor because friends and family tell them their story is great. In a survey done by SellBox.com of 307 self-publishers, only 46% paid a professional editor to review their manuscript before they published it. 20% had a friend do it and 34% did it themselves.

In 2013, I decided to self-publish a children’s story I had written in 1995. I read Chloe and the Belly Beast to a few family members and friends through the years and always received positive feedback. I personally liked the story. So – there you go – ready to publish!

We all know the truth, don’t we? Our friends and family don’t want to hurt our feelings or discourage our dreams. Once my sister, an award-winning TV promotions writer, editor and producer, knew that I was actually going to publish this book, she started to get real with me. She provided – gasp! – honest feedback on the story.

Sketch from Chloe and the Belly Beast — still unpublished (Artist: Indrachapa Weerasinghe)

The story was confusing. She couldn’t tell over what time period it took place. Days? Weeks? Years? Some of the language sounded dated and vocabulary too advanced for the age of my target audience.

Most of us are not lucky enough to have an award-winning writer available to review our work.For free. But, she’s my sister, with all that history of sibling rivalry. I realized I couldn’t have her edit my work. The process transformed me from a middle-aged woman into a sullen teenager.

By this time, I had written several stories. Like many writers heading down the self-publishing path, I had no idea where to find an editor and assumed it was expensive. With online freelancing companies now plentiful, it was easy to find out. I posted a job on what is now Upwork.com.

After reviewing multiple bids, I hired two editors. It turned out that it was very reasonably priced. I had the first one edit the stories, then gave those versions to the second editor. Then back to the first editor. This was done a few times until I had a version of each story that I liked. They made some of the same edits my sister suggested. But, it was far easier to have strangers make changes to my “babies.”

Often, self-publishers assume they can’t afford an editor. But, if you don’t know how much it costs, how do you know you can’t afford it? (Tip: The most expensive editor is not always the best.) If your story is so important to you that you are willing to share it with the world, why are you not willing to put some money where your pen is?

Many indie authors wax poetic about their love and sacrifice for the written word. Prove it. Forgo take-out food, lattes, and quit smoking. Before you know it, you’ll have enough to pay a good editor. Should you ever run into Ms. Rowling, ask her for a referral. I’m betting she has a few great editors on speed dial.

More authors are offering their books in other languages — particularly Spanish. It’s a great idea! But don’t go it alone — be sure to hire a professional translator.

Is your book global? It’s a great idea to translate your stories into other languages. Particularly to Spanish. Those Spanish-language and English/Spanish bilingual readers are the fastest-growing segment of the population in America. I focus on Spanish, but the advice applies to translating your book into any language.

I have most of my stories translated. Hablo español muy poco.Lol! When I decided that Aviva Gittle Publishing would “write and publish great stories for children in English and Spanish,” I thought it would not be that hard to do. Ay yay yay (Yiddish translation: “Oy vey”) — was I wrong!

In fact, I was so confident, I created my Spanish-language promo video before I had published one Spanish-language story. (Watch video.)

There is nothing worse than poorly translated work. Think of anything you’ve read that has been poorly translated into English.

Let me warn you; translating to Spanish is not easy. The language is different from Mexico to Spain to Panama, etc. I know so little Spanish that I really can’t tell you what’s different. But, the different translators sure knew. There are also cultural differences that can come back to bite you. For example, a Panamanian reviewer told me that a word in one of my story translations is slang for something not very nice in one Spanish-speaking country. Fortunately, that version was never published.

Just like writing in English, you will need a Spanish-language editor to review the translator’s work. (If you don’t use a professional editor for your English-language stories, read this.) Ideally, you will get feedback from Spanish-language readers before you publish.

My stories have been translated, reviewed, checked, rechecked and reviewed again by no less than four translators. Seven if you count Mariana’s friends and family. (Gracias, Mariana Llanos!)

My suggestion is that you post a job on an online freelance staffing company. There are many. Indicate number of stories, word count per story, and total word count for the job.

Do not have your friend, neighbor, or Spanish-speaking son-in-law translate your work. Pay a professional to do it. Then have friends and family read it and give feedback.

It took me over a year to publish my first Spanish-language story. Why so long? I was terrified of Spanish-language readers knowing it was translated from English. I was also very unsure about marketing the books. I’m still struggling with that. It’s not just the story that needs translating; it’s also the book blurb, marketing materials, front and back matter, etc. If you can afford it, consider hiring a bilingual virtual assistant to help with posting and tweeting about the books in their native language.

Finally, give Spanish-language readers the Spanish-version (without the corresponding English version) for feedback. You want them to feel that they are reading a story that was written in their language. Wouldn’t you?

Hi! My name is Aviva Gittle and I love to write stories. About curious kittens, boys who turn into bagels and bad little girls who never say “please.” I’ve been writing since I was a little girl. In 2005, I wrote a story about a fly who invites himself to lunch at a little boy’s house called “Mort the Fly.” In 2013 (yes, it took that long), I decided to self-publish the story. Since then, I have written many more stories including the 7-book series, “Kitten and Friends” and “In Nana’s Arms.” Mark Megson and I wrote “Moon Jump” and “Mary’s Magic Word.”

Meet Liam John Alex

[Updated 12/19/16] Understandably, 11-year-old Liam’s mom, Lynn Alex, will first use the adjective “autistic” to describe him. There is no doubt that this is the first thing you do need to understand about Liam. But, when Lynn posted one of Liam’s drawings on Facebook, I saw another prominent feature of his personality: Artist.

As a children’s picture book author, I review the portfolios of many artists. Let’s face it; art is subjective. But, I think I have a pretty good eye for talent. I asked Lynn to provide more pictures of Liam’s drawings so that I could share them with you. Let’s see if you see what I see. 🙂

This is Liam’s most recent work:

Christmas Card Contest, 2016

Cubist Evergreen Tree, 2016

Holland Tulips in One Point Perspective

“Tree” by Liam John Alex. Texture and color. This little boy gets it.

“Snowman” by Liam John Alex. Note the shading and shadow. The beautiful green, splash of color from the birds, and the falling snow.

“Ornaments” by Liam John Alex. He draws the filament inside the bulbs and the glow on the outside. I’m in awe that a 10-year-old thinks to capture the details of the lights.

“Bird” by Liam John Alex. I love the contrasting earth tones in the leaves with the colorful feathers. It’s a detail I think most kids (and adults) would skip.

10-year-old Liam John Alex

John Liam Alex is an 11-year-old autistic child. He continues to show his talent as an artist. Among his favorite things to read is the National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia. (What he’s reading in the picture below, left.) Liam lives with his mother, Lynn, and his father, Scott, in Hammonton, NJ.

Oh, the joys of (grand) parenting!

Share your story and you might win a copy of In Nana’s Arms.

My first grandchild, Louis, was born in 2012. I was lucky to get a lot of time with him the first year or so of his life. Now he lives far away, but that it is another story.

Grandparenting beats the heck out of parenting. This is where being older has its benefits. I’m calmer; more patient. I’ve learned a lot from the 20-year-old me that raised my son. It’s a do-over that you rarely get in life.

His angel face inspired a poem.

When my grandson was a baby, he was napping in my arms. I was looking at his angel face and was inspired to write a poem about being a grandmother. Holding him snugly in one arm, I grabbed my iPhone and, with one thumb, typed the first draft.I didn’t want to wake him, but I didn’t want to lose that beautiful moment of inspiration.

Eventually, I had it illustrated by two different artists and published both versions on Amazon. It is called In Nana’s Arms. One version features the artwork of Carlos Brito; the other features Karissa Hunter’s work. I’m coming close to publishing the Spanish version, En los Brazos de Abuela.

I’d like to know how being a grandparent has changed your life. Or has it? Do you remember the first time you held your grandchild in your arms? What was it like?

Share you story in the comments below.

If I select yours as a favorite, you’ll win a copy* of In Nana’s Arms eBook.

*You can read In Nana’s Arms on any device using the Kindle app. Download it here. Follow Aviva on Twitter @AvivaGittle or sign up for the Gittle newsletter to find out if you’re a winner. You’ll need to send Aviva your email address so she can gift you the book through Amazon. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose.

To buy “In Nana’s Arms” please click a book cover or here. Learn more about Aviva and Aviva Gittle Publishing here.

How has being a grandparent changed your life?

My first grandchild, Louis, was born in 2012. I was lucky to get a lot of time with him the first year or so of his life. Now he lives far away, but that it is another story.

“I was looking at his angel face and was inspired to write a poem.”

When he was a baby, he was napping in my arms. I was looking at his angel face and was inspired to write a poem about being a grandmother. I grabbed my iPhone and, with one hand, typed the first draft. Eventually, I had it illustrated by two different artists and published it on Amazon. It is called “In Nana’s Arms.” I’m in the process of making some changes to the original book (including changing “Nana” to “Grandma” since more people can relate to that). I’m also coming close to publishing the Spanish version, En los Brazos de Abuela, which has gone through many iterations. It’s not easy to translate rhymes into another language.

I’d like to know how being a grandparent has changed your life. Or has it? Do you remember the first time you held your grandchild in your arms? What was it like?

Share you story here.

If you are interested in buying “In Nana’s Arms” please click on “Store” in the menu.